If an employee uses the authorized representative method to complete Section 2, they will do so within their Worker Portal as part of the Fountain Smart I-9 method. This article will discuss the experience for worker and their authorized representative completing Section 2.
Authorized Representative Workflow
Before beginning the task, the employee will be informed that they will need to select an authorized representative and the requirements for that individual.
The authorized representative can be anyone other than the employee themselves such as a family member, friend, neighbor, etc. The authorized representative must also be 18 years of age or older, be physically with the employee in order to review their documents, and have a mobile device with web access.
Next, the employee will begin the Section 2 steps. They will be asked to enable location sharing with the Fountain I-9 Center, so that Fountain I-9 can confirm compliance with the employee and authorized representative being in the same location (within 15 feet).
Next, the employee will enter their authorized representative’s cell phone number. This will send the authorized representative an SMS with a direct link to the Fountain I-9 Center authorized representative workflow, including helpful instructions, and a video explaining their role in this process.
The authorized representative will read and agree to a perjury clause, asking them to sign off on the documents only if they believe the documents are genuine and related to the employee.
The authorized representative will then also enable location sharing, which Fountain I-9 will compare to the employee’s location.
If these locations do not match, the process will be stopped until Fountain I-9 can confirm that they are in the same location.
The authorized representative will be presented with photos of the documents that the employee submitted in Section 1.
They will compare the physical copies of the employee’s documents to the photos to verify that they match.
Once the match is confirmed they will indicate that the documents match the photos, appear genuine, and relate to the employee.
Enter their first & last name.
Electronically sign.
Submit their Section 2 review
If the authorized representative approves the document(s), once they sign and submit the form, a new E-Verify case will automatically be created and sent to E-Verify with the information from Section 1 and Section 2.
If the authorized representative rejects the document(s) for any reason, there are two suggested follow-up options:
Restart the I-9 and request a new submission from the employee, with the updated document(s).
Complete Section 2 as the employer. This will require the employer to upload new, relevant document(s) provided in person by the employee.
Try it out!
Click the image below to launch an interactive walkthrough that includes the worker and authorized representative experience in the Worker Portal.
Authorized Representative Method Audit trail
To view an audit trail of an individual employee’s I-9 form that used the Authorized Representative Method, click Manage to the right of their name and then Take Action on I-9. Finally, click View Audit Events.
The audit trail includes the following information:
The name of the authorized representative
IP addresses and telephone numbers of the employee and authorized representative
Dates and times of each action
Additional Resources
WorkBright authorized rep workflow: Website for WorkBright, our I-9 partner, outlining the workflow for I-9 and the authorized representative (includes a helpful video)
Related Articles
⬅️ Previous article: Completing Section 2 as an Employer
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